Amazon Chocolate or Cherokee Chocolate?

[camochef]

Originally Posted by parah

Thank you Camochef,
Half the plants in my garden come from your wonderful yearly tomato reviews.
I ordered some Maxifort seeds for rootstock. I have no grafting skill but I will try to get Dana's Dusky Rose grafted. I learn more from your garden than from mine! Hmmm, I wonder if grafting Amazon Chocolate is redundant?

I know you prefer bigger tomatoes, have you tried any of the Dwarf tomato plants? Are the fruit too small for you?

Parah,
No I haven't tried any of the Dwarf plants. I'm going the other way, reducing my gardens from hundreds of tomato plants to only 23 this past season and dreams of only ten next season. And yes I like large meaty tomatoes where one slice covers the entire sandwich.
With only twenty-three plants this season I felt it didn't warrant my tomato reviews. My Brandywine and Brandywine crosses did extremely well here this past year but it was my German Johnson-Benton Strain grafted to Maxifort rootstock from Dana that was exceptional. Now I had the same variety grown from seed and planted about a week earlier that did very well also, but not as impressive as the grafted plant.
Purple Dog Creek was also quite good and would be my third choice for the season. Liz Birt was the first to ripen this past season, but was soon surpassed by Barlow Jap. All the Brandywines then kicked in, and while both the normal Potato Leafed and the Regular Leafed varieties of Cowlick's were great, this year it was Brandywine-Glick's and Brandywine-Sudduth's that were sensational. But they couldn't compare with that grafted German Johnson-Benton strain.
I think that DDR outproduced Amazon Chocolate pound for pound although they are somewhat smaller. Bear Creek was the last tomato producing before the killing frost ended this years adventures.
I wish you much good luck in the coming season and hope your sucessful with your grafting.
Enjoy!
Camo

[parah]

Hi Camochef, I want to thank you again for all you have shared on the forums. I have tomatoes to eat because of you! Amazon Chocolate just keeps making tomatoes. While other plants around it give up and die (NAR, Mariana's peace, Goose Creek....) Amazon Chocolate gets a little sick and soldiers on. I want to know how Amazon Chocolate can make fruit while tolerating higher night time temps than: Super Sioux, Arkansas Traveler, Jetsetter, Big Beef, Momotaro...

Amazon Chocolate is great tomato plant for my conditions.
Thanks for introducing us.

[ScottinAtlanta]

Originally Posted by kath

Yes, Camo's AC is a large-fruited PL as is mine. Do you know a source of the large-fruited RL, Steve? Tania doesn't list this one on her website and I don't recall hearing about it before.

kath

The Heritage Seed Amazon Chocolate is described as RL on their packet.

Delectation of Tomatoes is also selling the RL version.

[camochef]

My Amazon Chocolate seeds came from Lisa at Amishland back in 2007. Initially they were all P.L. Over time they began to run about 50/50 P. L. to R.L. Both types grew on large 7 ft high or more vines. The fruit from both leaf types looked identical and tasted exactly the same. except for one year where the two plants I had didn't do well at all and almost caused me to scratch them off my favorites list. I think that was more weather related than anything else as it was an extreme drought year and all my earlier favorites performed worse than the later planted "new to me varieties"

Yes I'm still growing Amazon Chocolate this year, but with my garden reduced to only 20 tomatoes...I'm only growing one and I believe its a R.L.

Those that refuse to try some of Lisa's "rare varieties" are only hurting themselves. Many of my best tomatoes over the years have come from Amishland seed. Besides Amazon Chocolate, there have been:
Brandywine-Glick's
Lancaster county Pink
Gigantesque
Ballad
and some assorted Brandywines including Black Brandywine, Stump's, and even OTV which I didn't care for.
Enjoy
Camo